CS 330 Societal & Ethical Issues in Computing
Fall 2025

If you need to speak to me about course material, please come to office hours. For other concerns, my availability can be found on the calendar page. Please check there before emailing to ask when I can meet.

Course policies (including grading information) is posted in the CS 330 Syllabus.

Course Description

Should web site designers be legally required to accommodate blind users? Who has to pay for accidents caused by self-driving cars? Should governments be allowed to purchase user-tracking data? Should posting revenge porn be a crime? Should there be carbon taxes targeted at cryptocurrency exchanges? Computing has changed all facets of our lives, allowing us to maintain interpersonal connections with distant family and friends, adjust our workplace to our individual preferences, and share information that challenges the balance of power with authority figures. Many of these changes create a great benefit for some people while extracting a great cost for others.

In this course, we will use the tools of critical inquiry and ethical frameworks to assess how computing has and will change your life and the lives of people around the world. We will also examine current and proposed laws and policies that shape these effects. After introducing the foundations of computing ethics, we will discuss a range of topics including intellectual property, free expression, security & privacy, and life in an algorithmic society. Prerequisites: CS 345, WRTC 210, and junior standing.

Course Objectives

Mastery of this material allows students to develop a more sophisticated view of computing and the power of high-level software abstractions. Students who complete this course can expect to meet the following objectives:

• Articulate the need for computer scientists to cultivate apply ethical reasoning skills.
• Analyze a computing-related ethical dilemma through the lens of common normative ethical frameworks.
• Identify and evaluate technical, ethical, and sociological resources used as evidence in support of debates about computing.
• Summarize key relevant legal concepts and historical developments relating to intellectual property, security, privacy, and speech.
• Express and critique multiple perspectives related to ethical dilemmas in computing.
• Explain the variety of barriers to equal access in computing.
• Identify the benefits and harms of computing.
• Articulate and embody the moral obligations of computing professionals.
• Reflect on and critique the norms and values that are common in the computing profession.